Beethoven’s 250th Symphony
As music became an art for all the people of Europe, Ludwig van Beethoven became the hero and the symbol of an aspiring German nation.
History Today
The Forging of a Communist
The historian Eric Hobsbawm kept faith with the Marxist orthodoxies of his youth even after the Soviet invasions of Hungary in 1956, of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Why?
Colonial Projections
Studying African history through the lens of cinema.
Still Fighting the Civil Wars
The uneasy balance between rulers and counsellors has been a feature of British politics for centuries.
The Great Migration Mystery
It was once believed that swallows spent their winters on the Moon, or asleep on river beds.
The Pilgrims’ Progress
With every major anniversary, our perspective on the voyage of the Mayflower changes. This year’s 400th will address the legacy of colonialism.
Zhou Enlai: Mao’s Enigmatic Shadow
How important was China’s senior diplomat to his nation’s rise to global power, or is it too early to say?
Policing the Ploughs
As Britain faced the prospect of food shortages in 1917, panic mounted. One solution was to redeploy policemen to plough the land.
How Have Ordinary People Responded in Times of Crisis?
Four historians consider what the past might tell us about everyday responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Invention of the ‘Secchi depth’
Father Secchi demonstrated his water quality disk to the pope on 20 April 1865.